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October 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in Business Strategy on October 6, 2010
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z3247652400&z=1000247453
Groovystuff has partnered with Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., to create a design competition that will give students real-world experience, a chance to earn royalties on successful design, and a reason to choose the home furnishings industry after graduation.
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October 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 6, 2010
Wolf Furniture, Bellwood, Pa., has opened a new 45,000-square-foot furniture showroom in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
The new Wolf store occupies the former Gabriel's location, behind Carrabba's, in the Gateway Square shopping center in Hampden Township along the Carlisle Pike (Route 11). The space was renovated inside and out, and the new store created about 25 new jobs.
"The new store features all the top brands customers have come to know and trust from Wolf Furniture, including La-Z-Boy, Broyhill, Sealy, Paula Deen, Pennsylvania House, Smith Brothers, Kincaid, Kingsdown, Restonic and more," said Wolf Vice President-Merchandise Gene Stoltz. "We expanded our selection with several new looks to service a broader customer base in the market. And so far, the communitys reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
Wolf's fourth-generation president, Doug Wolf, said the retailer was glad to have a location on the West Shore of Pennsylvania's "Capital Region." Wolf already had an East Shore location--a 60,000-square-foot store in Harrisburg.
"Weve heard requests from customers and suppliers alike for Wolf Furniture to open a store to better serve the West Shore and Carlisle areas," Wolf noted.
Founded in 1902, family owned and operated by the Wolf Furniture now has nine full service showrooms and one clearance outlet store in Pennsylvania, and two showrooms in Maryland.
October 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 6, 2010
ViewIT Technologies has released a new version of its online interior
design tool 3Dream.net, an online room design tool that allows users to quickly create a 3D room environment and then fully decorate it.
The new version now works with the most popular Web browsersMicrosoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and
Google's Chrome. Previous versions of 3Dream.net only worked with Internet Explorer.
Other new features include increased wall accuracy to half an inch, enhanced performance, a tool for precise placement, and the ability to add a customized version of 3Dream to any Web site.
"From the very beginning we set out to not limit the user's flexibility in designing a space," said Ross Barlett, co-founder of ViewIT and 3Dream's project leader. Whether you are creating one room, three rooms, or an entire floor plan the main goal is to have your customer become engaged and get excited about the potential of how their new rooms could lookbefore they buy. The result is that they can decide faster, and the sale amount is higher."
The inclusion of the second and third most popular browsers is one more step in the evolution of the program. Support for smart-phone devices and tablet PCs is planned for a future release, as is integration with other Web programs.
October 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Markets on October 6, 2010
The AmericasMart Building 1 in Atlanta will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.
The building, which houses more than 2 million square feet of home furnishings, home décor and accents on 15 floors, opened in 1961, and the January market, which opens Jan. 12 and runs through Jan. 19.
At the upcoming market, HD Home will be unveiled in the temporary showroom space. HD Home will feature a juried collection of high-design home furnishings and décor and will be housed in the HOME building on the first floor.
The January Markets will once again feature an ensemble of the industrys most celebrated tastemakers and renowned designers. These special guests will take the spotlight in the HOME center to educate, entertain and excite retailers about 2011 trends and building business. Details on these key events will be released as January nears.
The comprehensive collections in the HOME center continue to attract home and gift retailers and interior designers from around the world. This January, retailers and designers can expect an international HOME destination supported by 50 years of commitment and evolution.
October 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on October 6, 2010
The Western Home Furnishings Association has announced details on the Home Furnishings Industry Conference scheduled, April 30May 2, in San Antonio.
The event, set for the Westin Riverwalk in historic San Antonio, will kick-off with an opening keynote from Bob Beckel and Cal Thomas of USA Today's Common Ground column. These two politically savvy and politically different analysts take their differences and find the "common ground" that unites all Americans. Although Beckel and Thomas have different opinions on almost every subject imaginable, the goal of Common Ground is to show the conference audience that bridges can be forged between differences, and agreements can be made.
The conference will provide networking, leadership and educational events that will supply content for each segment of the industry. Social media, for example, is a highlight: Social media guru, Erik Qualman, author of "Socialnomics," will make a presentation on the implications of social media, and how businesses can tap into the power of this new marketing power to increase sales, cut marketing costs and how to communicate and reach consumers directly.
Lastly, the marketing mastermind behind the Starbucks and Whole Foods brands, John Moore, will present a keynote on "The Bigness of Smallness." Moore says that the smaller a business is, the bigger it must look and conversely, the bigger a business is, the smaller it must get. This paradox of growth serves as the foundation for this playful, informative presentation on how businesses can get bigger by acting smaller. Using examples of established and emerging brands, Moore will show the audience through actionable methods for how small businesses can thrive in a crowded marketplace and how big businesses can continue growing when faced with upstart competition.
The Home Furnishings Industry Conference agenda is geared to help retailers move their business into the future through workshops, general sessions, open forums, and a dynamic Expo with over 40 vendors from around the country.
"As incoming President for NHFA, I feel that 2011 Conference in San Antonio will be the highlight of the year," said Dianne Ray, Garden City Furniture, Garden City Beach, S.C., and National Home Furnishings Association's 2011 president. "What a great opportunity for retailers, vendors and suppliers to share, learn and listen to one another on a one-on-one basis. I look forward to the conference with the opportunities to learn from everyone attending and, most of all, having fun visiting with all of the great folks who make the furniture industry a great place to work. Come join us for the most exciting and invigorating days of your year and enjoy being a part of the home furnishings industry."
Along with the amazing educational sessions already scheduled, the Home Furnishings Conference will provide even more opportunities to learn and allow for ample time for retailers, suppliers and vendors to share ideas and best practices to move everyones business into the future.
"If you are going to do one thing to help improve your business this year I would say attending this conference is a must," said Dave Harkness, Harkness Furniture, Tacoma, Wash. "As Pacific Furniture Dealers president and past president of WHFA I can honestly say the annual conference is one of the best things I do for our store on an annual basis. Our PFD buying group has met during this conference for as long as I can remember, and I have yet to miss one. It is the perfect opportunity to meet with and learn from some of the most progressive dealers, manufacturers and suppliers in our industry. I can say with certainty that I always pay for my way with ideas and resources that I pick up strictly from this event. This years will be even more exciting and educational with the combination of making it a national conference and trade show."
Members of WHFA, NHFA, all of the affiliates and designated partners can take advantage of the great buy one, get one free deal. One registration of $495 must be purchased and the second person can attend for free. Additional registrations for other team members are $199 each. This makes it easy for businesses to bring multiple people from their store and learn even more valuable tools for business.
Those interested in participating as a sponsor or partner of this event should contact WHFA's Cindi Williams by e-mail; or at 916.960.0277. For the latest information and updates on the Home Furnishings Industry Conference, follow the event on Facebook.